Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss Ice Cream Review & GIVEAWAY!

Welcome to Round 2 of summer giveaways on Farmers Market Vegan! This time, I’m thrilled to offer you perhaps the tastiest, creamiest, richest, most decadent non-dairy ice cream on the market (I’m really not exaggerating here): Luna and Larry’s Organic Coconut Bliss.

After Coconut Bliss founders Luna and Larry Kaplowitz embarked upon a dairy-free diet out of concern for their health and the ecological impact of dairy production, they had trouble finding a tasty non-dairy ice cream free of questionable ingredients. With soy- and rice-based ice creams proving gastronomically unsatisfying, Luna and Larry turned to coconut milk and– hand-crank ice cream machine in hand – began hosting weekly tasting parties for friends, family, neighbors, and anyone else interested in the wonders of coconut, agave-sweetened ice cream. Once two local shop owners requested that Luna and Larry start selling the ice cream in their stores, Coconut Bliss became an official business venture and expanded from a home hand-crank operation into a manufacturing facility in Eugene, Oregon. Today, you can find Luna and Larry’s top-quality ice cream in stores across the U.S. and Canada.

Luna and Larry at the Thai coconut farm that produces milk for Coconut Bliss.

With this expansion, Luna and Larry made few compromises in terms of environmental and ethical sustainability. At least 95% of all Coconut Bliss ingredients are certified organic, including the coconut milk and agave, both of which are sourced from family-owned farms in Thailand and Mexico respectively with which Luna and Larry have connected in person. Additionally, all of the cacao used in Coconut Bliss comes from a fair-trade certified workers’ cooperative in the Dominican Republic, a production setup that minimizes the incidence of child slavery (read more about slavery in the chocolate industry here). Luna and Larry also offer substantial support to the local Eugene community by sponsoring events and donating to a number of nonprofits, and are currently seeking to donate a percentage of their sales the communities and animal shelters in the area of Thailand where the coconut milk they use is produced.

Coconut Bliss at the Beloved Sacred Music Festival in Tidewater, Oregon.

You’ll notice that I mentioned that Luna and Larry made few compromises in expanding Coconut Bliss. One compromise that they did make, however, I feel the need to mention. As explained in detail in this blog post from Larry, in 2011 Coconut Bliss became majority owned by Lochmead Dairy (and that don’t mean a vegan dairy, folks). As Larry explains, with skyrocketing demand, he and Luna began searching for a co-packer that could make Coconut Bliss for them, and supposedly could not find a vegan co-packer large enough to suit their needs. The couple then turned to Lochmead, who apparently used to manufacture Turtle Mountain’s So Delicious and Purely Decadent lines, and thus have 20+ years of experience manufacturing vegan ice cream in a separate facility from their dairy products.

While I understand the reasoning behind this decision, I’m disappointed that our current society necessitates that many vegan products need engage at least somewhat with animal agriculture in order to reach a wide audience(Tom’s toothpaste, anyone? How about Nancy’s soy yogurt?). I grappled extensively – consulting a number of trusted animal rights activists – with whether or not I should carry out this review, on the grounds that I would be providing publicity for a dairy company by extension. However, I ultimately decided that the unfortunate fact that we live in an imperfect world, in which “pure” veganism proves impossible, should not keep me from promoting what I truly believe is the most impressive widely available vegan ice cream on the market – one that I would venture to say has the power to change non-vegan hearts and minds.

Additionally, I thought that this giveaway might provide a great opportunity to reach out to Lochmead Dairy informing them of how enthusiastically I adore the quality of their vegan ice cream, and asking them to continue to expand their vegan options.I’ve already sent an email of this vein to Lochmead, and would wholeheartedly encourage you all to do the same!

For this review, I had the opportunity to sample two flavors of Coconut Bliss: Mocha Maca Crunch and Cherry Amaretto(though, I’ve tried the Lunaberry Swirl in the past and it remains my favorite). A gorgeous balance of maca maltiness and rich coffee flavor, the Mocha Maca Crunch offered a rather sophisticated ice cream, though its “wild side” shone through the crunchy cacao nibs that studded each spoonful. The Cherry Amaretto hugely appealed to my adoration of the flavor of almond extract, and offered ginormous chunks of icy-juicy cherries throughout the ice cream. I served both of these flavors to a room full of non-vegans, all of whom had nothing but “ooh,” “ahh,” “oh, man,” “this is really just coconut milk?,” and other laudatory remarks to make of the Coconut Bliss quality.

Other than enjoying Coconut Bliss straight out of the container and sharing it with those not yet enlightened to the world of vegan ice cream, I also experimented with incorporating Coconut Bliss into a widely loved childhood dessert: ice cream sandwiches. Check out the recipe below, which pairs the Mocha Maca Crunch with chocolate’s frequent sidekick hazelnut, and couples the Cherry Amaretto with cherry’s good friend carob.

Drop the batters by the heaping spoonfuls onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread each cookie out with your fingers to create a thin disk. Each batter should yield 3 cookies. Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until they begin to turn golden around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool completely; they will crisp up as they cool.

You’ll use 1/4 cup ice cream for each sandwich, but you’ll have to use 1/2 cup total of one of the ice cream flavors since you have 3 cookies to fill. The Mocha Maca Crunch ice cream will go in between the hazelnut cookies, while the Cherry Amaretto ice cream will go in between the carob cookies. However, one scoop of one of the flavors of ice cream will go in between one of each cookie. Spoon one flavor of ice cream into a round-ish 1/4 cup measure, then overturn on top of one of the cookies to yield a dome-shaped heap of ice cream. Place another cookie of the same flavor on top of the ice cream and gently smush the ice cream down with the top cookie to create a sandwich. Immediately eat or place in the freezer to save for later. About5-10 minutes before you’d like to enjoy a sandwich, remove one from the freezer to allow to soften slightly.

Three of you who enter the giveaway will win two product coupons for free Coconut Bliss! So what are you waiting for? Enter the giveaway via the links at the top and bottom of this post.

This giveaway will end at 11:59 pm on Sunday, June 29, and I will announce the three winners on the following day.

Thanks for taking the time to hold even an ostensibly good company accountable. I appreciate knowing thinks like this! And I do think they are the best vegan ice cream on the market. I would love to make those ice cream cookie sandwiches!

It is a shame that so many vegan companies seem to be unable to reach a wider audience without making compromises like this. I do think that getting these products mainstream is hugely important though and hopefully it will lead to changes for the better. Thanks for such an honest review. I will email Lochmead.

It’s such a shame when vegan companies are bought by larger companies with different values. I was disappointed to learn that The Body Shop is owned by L’Oréal, which tests products on animals. In a perfect world, every vegan company would have the ability to remain independent.